Maine Gov. Paul LePage vetoed Maine LD 1540, also called “An Act to Protect Consumers’ Freedom of Choice in Auto Collision Repairs,” which if enacted would have clarified a provision in Maine’s anti-steering law.

The bill specifically regarded an insurer’s responsibility to convey that the insured or claimant has the legal right to choose the motor vehicle repair service to fix the vehicle.

Gov. Lepage argued in his veto that the bill “appears to be a solution in search of a problem.”

“If auto insurance companies were truly steering business toward specific collision repair businesses, this may be a discussion worth having,” said LePage. “But over the course of the last nine years, Maine’s insurance bureau has only received six consumer complaints regarding this issue; two of those complaints were that insurers did not direct insureds to shops participating in the insurer’s networks.”

The governor concluded that he believes that the bill micromanages Maine businesses and creases unneeded regulations for Maine’s auto insurance industry thus he vetoed the legislation.